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kworldsportsnews · 3 months ago

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Edmonton Oilers Eliminate Kings in Six-Game Thriller: Connor Brown Stars

The Edmonton Oilers have punched their ticket to the second round of the NHL playoffs after a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. With a roaring crowd inside Rogers Place, the Oilers closed out the best-of-seven series, taking four consecutive wins to secure their spot in the next round.

Connor Brown Ignites Edmonton’s Playoff Fire

Connor Brown was the hero of the night, delivering a goal and two assists in what many are calling his standout performance since joining the Oilers. Edmonton’s offense was firing from all angles, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic, and Adam Henrique also finding the back of the net. Goaltender Calvin Pickard stood tall, turning aside 23 shots and holding firm during the game’s tense final minutes.

“We were relentless tonight,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said after the game. “Brown was incredible, and Pickard was clutch when it mattered. We didn’t play the cleanest game, but we stuck together and got it done.”

Kings Knocked Out by Oilers Yet Again

For the Los Angeles Kings, it was another heartbreaking end. Edmonton has now sent them packing in the first round for four straight seasons, a bitter reminder of how far they’ve fallen since their 2014 Stanley Cup win.

“We believed in this group,” Kings veteran Anze Kopitar said. “It’s tough to end the year like this. We had high hopes, but it just wasn’t enough.”

A Game of Surges and Momentum Shifts

The game opened with an electric start — Quinton Byfield scored for Los Angeles less than two minutes in. Edmonton, however, wasted no time leveling the score, as Brown’s shot deflected off Henrique to tie things up.

Moments later, the Kings reclaimed the lead with a wild bounce past Pickard, but Edmonton responded again. McDavid set up Nugent-Hopkins for a power-play equalizer, making playoff history as the first team to score two tying goals within the first six minutes of a game.

From there, the Oilers took over. Hyman tipped in a long-range blast from Nurse to grab their first lead, and they never trailed again, adding further goals from Frederic and Henrique.

Vegas Awaits: Edmonton’s Next Test

With the Kings dispatched, the Oilers now shift focus to their second-round showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights — the reigning Stanley Cup champions. It promises to be a fierce battle packed with star power, including McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Golden Knights captain Mark Stone.

For Edmonton fans, the dream is alive. This team has long been seen as a powerhouse on paper, but this series proved they have the resilience and depth to back it up. Brown’s breakout night and Pickard’s steadying presence between the pipes have injected a fresh wave of optimism.

Tough Offseason Ahead for Kings

On the flip side, Los Angeles enters an offseason full of difficult questions. With top-tier names like Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, and Drew Doughty, expectations were sky-high, but the results fell painfully short. Whether the Kings stick with their core or make significant roster changes will be a major talking point in the months ahead.

Edmonton Eyes the Stanley Cup

For now, the Oilers are savoring a well-earned triumph. After years of coming up short in the postseason, they look ready to push deeper into the playoffs and perhaps all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Thursday night wasn’t flawless, but their refusal to quit, even under pressure, proved they belong on the big stage.

The next round promises fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat hockey — and if Edmonton’s recent form is any indication, fans should buckle up for an unforgettable ride.

Source: Kings vs Oilers Charge To Next Round

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kikiskeysgame · 5 years ago

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Kiki's Game Preview to the Chicago Blackhawks-Tampa Bay Lightning Game (01\13\2021)

Last season for the Blackhawks The 2019-20 regular NHL season for the Blackhawks was cut short in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They finished the regular season in 7th place in the Central Division and 12th place in the Western Conference with a record of 32-30-8; their home record was 16-14-4 and their road record was 16-16-4.

When the NHL resumed in August with the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blackhawks advanced to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in four games; however, they were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the first round.

Blackhawks vs. Lightning Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning finished in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division and 2nd place in the Eastern Conference (where they were named the Eastern Conference champions) with a record of 43-21-6; their home record was 22-10-2 and their road record was 21-11-4.

When the NHL resumed in August with the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Lightning won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games.

In the 2019-20 regular season, the Blackhawks' record against Tampa Bay was 1-1-0. The last time both teams faced each other back on February 27, 2020, the Blackhawks defeated the Lightning 5-2 with goals by Dominik Kubalik (who scored his first career hat trick), Brandon Saad and Slater Koekkoek. Corey Crawford was the winning goaltender, making 36 saves out of 38 shots on goal.

Players To Be Aware Of Steven Stamkos (who was second on the team in points and goals; he finished the 2019-20 regular season with 66 points in 57 games with 29 goals and 37 assists; he had 1 goal in the 2019-20 postseason)

Victor Hedman (who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs; he finished the 2019-20 regular season with 55 points in 66 games with 11 goals & 44 assists; he had 22 points with 10 goals and 12 assists in the 2019-20 postseason)

Brayden Point (who was third on the team in points and assists; he finished the 2019-20 regular season with 64 points in 66 games with 25 goals and 39 assists; he had 33 points with 14 goals & 19 assists in the 2019-20 postseason)

Andrei Vasilevskiy (who led all goaltenders in wins and goals against average; he ended the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 35-14-3 in 52 games with a goals against average of 2.56; he had a record of 18-7-0 in 25 games in the 2019-20 postseason with a goals against average of 2.55)

#chicago blackhawks #tampa bay lightning #game preview

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highbuttonsports · 5 years ago

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The Great Divisional Divide

Hockey is coming! Hockey is coming! If you are reading this you are like me and are completely enthralled that the NHL will be finally dropping the puck for the 2021 season (a season with 1 year in the label sounds weird) on January 13th.

To say this has been a bizarre year would be a huge understatement. Trying to blend the needed distraction of sports with an ongoing pandemic has not been easy. Not to downplay to extreme seriousness of the pandemic, but the NHL has dealt with their own issues from this the best they can. On the back of stringent protocols and a bubbled environment, the first return to play to finish the 2019-2020 season was nothing short of a great success. Now they face all the same challenges and more in their effort to return to play for the next season hoping for much of the same success. In this edition there will be no protective bubble aside from each team forming their own.

There will be a reduced 56 game schedule given the time constraints of fitting this season in before hopefully getting things back to the normal season start time this October. This season will also be very different in that it will involve strictly divisional play which will limit the number of teams each team is exposed to. Divisional play not only does that but helps keep the travel of each team to a minimum which again minimizes risk. Not to mention the financial benefits as each franchise again faces the prospect of limited to no fans in the stands. It’s this divisional plan that has garnered the most excitement as well as the most controversy.

The excitement comes from the thought of these divisions being made up of some the most heated and hate filled rivalries in the league and getting to enjoy these rivalries for up to 10 games in some cases. Factor in the schedule being organized so teams play each other 3, 4, or 5 games in a row and we get de facto mini series’ throughout ala the MLB. That means more Penguins vs Flyers, more Blues vs Golden Knights, more Leafs vs Canadiens, and more Flames vs Oilers (yes, yes, yes, and oh baby yes). It’s the context of those last 2 rivalries where the controversy comes in. The realignment of the league into 4 different divisions (see graphic below) for one time only this season created unbalanced competition and fairness in some people’s eyes. More specifically in the creation of a Canadian division.

You don’t have to be a fan of a Canadian team or even a Canadian to salivate over that. Canadian on Canadian action for a 56 game schedule is something hockey dreams are made of. The argument against that comes from the perception that it’s made up of weaker teams and is an easier route to playoff success. They might have a point based on those teams’ records last season. But any team that comes out of the Canadian (North) division after a condensed regular season plus 2 hard fought playoff rounds will be just as deserving as the teams slugging their way out of the other divisions. The idea that it’s a free pass to the conference finals is for lack of a better word, ridiculous! If anything it might be tougher considering the history of hard fought battles and the long standing animosity between the teams and their respective fans.

If you have ever been in a pub in Canada during the NHL season you know exactly what I am talking about. It can lead to many a spilled beer, lots of obscenities, and impromptu fisticuffs. Add that all up and you get some of the most entertaining story lines and games the NHL has seen in a long time in all the divisions. I know once the season gets rolling I will be glued to my tv and devices like never before. And hey it’s only for 1 season anyways so we can all get the NHL hockey we are all craving. Though I for one wouldn’t mind if the divisions stayed as is going forward. Perhaps those in power in the NHL will see that too when the ratings bare the fruit they so desperately crave as well ($$$!!!)

By: Jaymee Kitchenham

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gustavnyquist · 7 years ago

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Hey. I’m kind of new to hockey and I would like to have a sort of a masterpost ? Or if you could guide me that’d be great. Thanks !

I sincerely hope you’re asking for a sort of hockey overview (rules, structure, etc.) bc that’s what I’m reading this as and that’s how I’m going to answer

okay so I looked through the tags for a while thinking there would already be something somewhere (and I’m sure there is) but I couldn’t find anything and I can’t think of a specific post that I’m aware of rn, so, I’m just going to make one myself

warning: this is rly long and I could not for the life of me make the read more work, pls forgive me, I will tag it as “long post”

so I’m totally cool with making this and none of this is meant to be condescending, only informational!

1. makeup of the NHL

there are 2 conferences (eastern and western) and 4 divisions (atlantic, metropolitan, central, and pacific)

the eastern conference is made up of:

the atlantic division, wherein you’ll find gems such as the: detroit red wings (wings), ottawa senators (sens), florida panthers (cats), buffalo sabres, toronto maple leafs (leafs), montreal canadiens (habs), boston bruins (b’s), and tampa bay lightning (bolts)

and the metropolitan division, wherein you’ll find beauties by the name of the: carolina hurricanes (canes), philadelphia flyers, washington capitals (caps), new york islanders (isles), columbus blue jackets (cbj, jackets), new jersey devils (devs), new york rangers (rags), and pittsburgh penguins (pens)

the western conference is made up of:

the central divisions, wherein you’ll find stunners such as the: nashville predators (preds), winnipeg jets, st. louis blues, minnesota wild, dallas stars, colorado avalanche (avs), and chicago blackhawks (hawks, trash)

and the pacific division, wherein you’ll find catches by the name of the: edmonton oilers, vancouver canucks (nucks), calgary flames, san jose sharks, arizona coyotes (yotes), los angeles kings, vegas golden knights (vgk, knights), and anaheim ducks

vegas is the newest team, which gave the pacific a full 8-team division, making the central division the only one with 7 teams, however, seattle’s probably getting a team in the near future and you’d think they’d belong in the pacific as well, so who tf knows what the divisions will look like in a few years :-) (this wouldn’t be the first time they’ve changed)

teams in the same division play each other 4 times a year (2 home, 2 away), every team plays each other at least twice every season (1 home, 1 away), and a team from one division can play a team from the other division in their conference 3 times a year, depending on how the scheduling works out

2. basic rules and structure for a hockey game

- a hockey game is 60 minutes, 20 minutes per 3 periods with 2 intermissions, but, generally, with stoppages and real-world timing, a hockey game last about 2 ½ to 3 hours

- there are 6 players from each team on the ice at a time, 3 forwards (right wing, centre, and left wing), 2 defensemen (right and left), and 1 goalie; each team will have with them on the bench 4 lines of forwards (12 guys), 3 defensemen pairs (6 guys), and 2 goalies (starter and backup) - some coaches, instead of 12/6, like to do 11/7, which means taking away a forward in favour of another defenseman, which basically means that some forwards will be taking double shifts and you’ll have an extra d-man to play so they essentially don’t get tired out as fast

- okay so the guy with the puck, on his way into the opponent’s zone (past the blue line) has to enter before any of his teammates, or at least the puck has got to cross the line first; the dudes on the other team can go in whenever bc it’s their own zone, but when you’re on offense, puck first - if you come before the puck, that’s called offside and the linesmen will stop the play and have a faceoff outside of your opponent’s zone

- you can’t just shoot the puck all the way down the ice into the opponent’s zone! that’s called icing - you can shoot it in from centre ice, but not from your zone all the way into the other guys’ zone; if you ice the puck, the linesmen will stop the play and the faceoff will come back in your own zone

- also, the referees (who call penalties) wear the orange armbands and the linesmen do not (they call the offsides and icings)

- nobody knows wtf goalie interference is anymore in the league so it’s best not to ask

which brings me to my next point

3. penalties

- the first thing to remember is that you will never fully agree with all of the refs’ calls as you become more familiar with the game, and yeah, sometimes it’s gonna screw over your team, but that’s hockey

- if your team gets a penalty, that means you’ll be playing 4 guys instead of 5, while the other team (on a power play) will have all 5 guys (plus goalies, of course), and your penalized dude gets to sit in the penalty box (aka sin bin) for 2-5 minutes, depending on what he did and what the call is

- a delayed penalty is when team 1 is called for a penalty, but team 2 (who is about to go on the power play, or pp) is still in control of the puck, so team 2′s goalie goes to the bench (since any goals here by team 1 won’t count) and they get an extra 6th man, and the penalty will be called as soon as team 1 touches the puck (or a goal is scored, and then no penalty)

- you can get a 2, 4, or 5 minute penalty, as well as a 10 minute game misconduct - 2 minutes is minor penalty, 4 minutes is a double minor, and 5 minutes is a major

- 2-minute minors: hooking, crosschecking, tripping, elbowing, highsticking (no blood), kneeing, unsportsmanlike conduct (mouthing off to the refs, ususally), too many men on the ice, and a variety of other things that I either can’t remember rn or don’t get called very often (like tucking your jersey into your pants) - these penalties end immediately if the team on a power play scores

- 4-minute double minors: generally this is for when you highstick someone and they start bleeding - if the power play team scores during the first 2 minutes, only that penalty ends (in other words, still 2 minutes to go), if they score in the second 2 minutes, then the penalty is altogether over

- 5-minute majors: fighting, boarding, spearing, charging, anything that’s more serious - the power play team can score as many times as they want during this penalty and the penalty will not end until the 5 minutes is up

- 10-minute misconduct: this is for when you’re rly being an asshole - mouthing off, seriously injuring a player, and so on, and you can either sit in the penalty box for 10 minutes (your team will not face a penalty for this, just the player) or you might just get kicked out of the game (say it’s the first or second period and there’s 10 minutes or less left, the player will probably just be sent to the dressing room for the misconduct and potentially return the next period)

- and above all else, a player rly can just kicked out of a game, especially if they’ve done something that is worthy of a fine or a suspension, which will be reviewed after the game

- also, both teams can get a penalty, which results in 4-on-4 hockey, and a team can get 2 penalties, which results in 5-on-3 hockey (or like 4-on-3 sometimes, if team 1 has 1 penalty and team 2 has 2)

4. wins, losses, OT, and SO

- if your team wins a game in regulation, congrats, you get 2 full points!

- if your team loses in regulation, you get 0 points :(

- OT (overtime) is when a game is still tied after 3 periods; each team gets 1 point, and the game is now going to sudden-death (someone scores, game over) 5 minute 3-on-3 hockey (yes, 3-on-3, 2 forwards and 1 d-man) - whoever scores now gets the full 2 points

- if that doesn’t solve it, we got to a SO (shootout), which involves 1-on-1 goalie vs. shooter, each team gets 3 shooters to start, the shooters rotate, and whoever scores the most goals wins (if no goals are scored by these 6 shooters, or it’s still tied, it goes to 1-shooter rounds until one team scores and the other doesn’t), winner gets 2 points

5. other general stuff

- come playoff time (only like a month away now), if you want a crash course on that, I’ll be happy to help, since I could do a whole new thing just for that

- if a player’s last name is kane, chances are they are a bad person (feel free to ask me for players that have done some shitty stuff, if you care to know that stuff)

- hockey tumblr is uh… an interesting place, take this as a warning, there are lots of nice ppl I’ve met here, but there are also a lot of opinions and it can get ugly

- there are also NHL awards and an entry draft at the end of the season, which you can ask me about, too (in June, that’s when it all takes place!)

- trades suck sometimes but luckily the trade deadline is over for this season (which was a week ago), so no more trades can be made until after someone wins the stanley cup this year

- there is an all-star weekend in January and that’s always a hoot

- every team has an AHL team affiliate, which is where they keep players that they can call up if someone gets injured, and where players develop so that they can be the best-conditioned player for the NHL before making it to the big league, and they play for their own cup (the Calder Cup, which the Grand Rapids Griffins, affiliate of the Red Wings, won last year)

- each team also has an ECHL team, which is a step under the AHL, like a reserve-reserve team

- if need be, I can also explain how call ups and waivers work, too

- the top three stanley cup winning teams are the: habs (24), leafs (13), and wings (11) - everyone else is pretty far from those totals

- here’s a link to some hockey blogs I like and follow (some of the urls might not be right, but the links should still take you to the right place)

- pls feel free to ask about anything else, I will try my best to explain it!

- you can also ask me about teams and players, specifically, but any of that would just be my own opinion on them and not necessarily a reflection of which teams and players ppl on here like (my fav teams are the wings and sens, and my fav players from each of those teams are Gustav Nyquist (right winger) and Erik Karlsson (d-man), and my fav goalie is Petr Mrazek, who now plays for the flyers)

hope this is helpful and what you were looking for :)

#long post #if any info in here isn't correct pls correct me #hockey #hockey crash course #ask #anon #when I was looking for a hockey rules overview post I fucking found all the stuff from 'rules to dating a hockey player'#remember that mess yikes

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crazyworldofsports · 5 years ago

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When is the NHL coming back?

My son just asked me when is the NHL coming back? I wasn't even sure myself so I did a little bit of investigation to find the answer. At this time the NHL does not have a return date set. The plan that the NHL has come up with consist of 4 phases. The NHL has been in Phase 1 since March, but very shortly will be going into Phase 2 which allows voluntary training with small groups. Phase 3 teams will be able to hold formal training camps, this will not happen until mid July. Phase 4 is when NHL will return to the ice with 24 of the 31 teams competing for the Stanley Cup.

NHL HOCKEY RETURNS

Hockey is on its way back after the NHL revealed its “Return to Play Plan” to wrap up the campaign, which has been on hiatus since mid-March. The remainder of the 2019-2020 NHL regular season has been cancelled and there are some major changes in place as 24 of the league’s 31 teams prepare to to compete in a modified 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The plan technically involves four phases, although the first—which is simply to isolate—has already been in place since the NHL shut down operations back in mid-March. Phase 2 is just around the corner, however, and will allow players to return to the ice for voluntary training with their teams in small groups. Phase 3 can start no earlier than the first half of July and will allow organizations to hold formal training camps. Phase 4 is the one fans are excited for, and while it currently has no targeted date, it means meaningful hockey will finally return to wrap up what had been an exciting campaign. When Phase 4 of the Return to Play Plan kicks in, the top four teams in each conference—based on points percentage prior to the shutdown—will compete against one another in a round robin tourney to determine their seeding for the first round of the 2020 NHL Playoffs. The eight other teams in each conference have been seeded based on points and will match up in best-of-five series with a postseason spot up for grabs. This plan gives clubs that would have missed the standard 16-team postseason a chance to make some noise and earn a spot in the proper NHL playoff bracket by winning this opening series. The league has yet to reveal if it will be making any changes to its usual playoff format for the first and second rounds, but has confirmed that both the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final will remain best-of-seven battles. All of these contests will be based in two “hub cities” that have yet to be determined by the league. The NHL's plan calls for all games to be played in 2 cities, one on the west coast and one on the east coast. There where 10 cities that were chosen as semi-finalist. Hub City Candidates Chicago, IL Columbus, OH Dallas, TX Edmonton, AB Las Vegas, NV Los Angeles, CA Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Pittsburgh, PA Toronto, ON Vancouver, BC Eastern Conference Round Robin Participants No. 1 Boston Bruins No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning No. 3 Washington Capitals No. 4 Philadelphia Flyers Eastern Conference Qualifying Round Match-ups And Odds No. 5 Pittsburgh Penguins (-205) vs. No. 12 Montreal Canadiens (+175) No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes (-140) vs. No. 11 New York Rangers (+120) No. 7 New York Islanders (-120) vs. No. 10 Florida Panthers (+100) No. 8 Toronto Maple Leafs (-160) vs. No. 9 Columbus Blue Jackets (+140) Western Conference Round Robin Participants No. 1 St. Louis Blues No. 2 Colorado Avalanche No. 3 Vegas Golden Knights No. 4 Dallas Stars Western Conference Qualifying Round Match-ups And Odds No. 5 Edmonton Oilers (-160) vs. No. 12 Chicago Blackhawks (+140) No. 6 Nashville Predators (-140) vs. No. 11 Arizona Coyotes (+120) No. 7 Vancouver Canucks (-130) vs. No. 10 Minnesota Wild (+110) No. 8 Calgary Flames (-120) vs. No. 9 Winnipeg Jets (+100) Next we look at 2020 Draft Lottery Continue reading the article here which originally appeared on Forbes Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 5 years ago

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CANTLON'S CORNER: AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...BUT STILL THE SAME

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Game on! Well, sort of. On Tuesday afternoon, NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman announced the outline of a plan to "Return-To-Play" that was agreed to between the players, and the league with the final details still being worked on. On March 12, 2020, the NHL paused its season over coronavirus concerns. The league played 85 percent of its 2019-20 regular-season schedule (1,082 of 1,271 games) which began in early October. “At the pause, we committed to resuming play only when it was appropriate and prudent,” Bettman said. “We are hopeful the 'Return-To-Play' plan will allow us to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup in a manner in which the health and safety of our players, on-ice officials, team staff, and associated individuals involved are paramount. Accordingly, an essential component of the Plan is a rigorous, regular schedule of testing. “On the hockey side, the 'Return-To-Play' format reflects the league’s extraordinary competitive balance while honoring the tradition and integrity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “The 'Return-To-Play' plan is the result of weeks of constructive dialogue with the National Hockey League Players’ Association and we are grateful for their cooperation. We also thank our consulting health experts and the local, regional, and national authorities who are helping steer us through a complex set of issues.” Here is the framework of the 'Return-To-Play'; Regular Season The 2019-20 regular season has been declared concluded through games of March 11. The 189 games originally scheduled from March 12 – April 4 will not be played. 24 teams will resume play: those teams consist of the top 12 in each Conference on the basis of points percentage as of the games played on March 11. Timeline Since the League’s pause on March 12, the League has been in Phase 1 with teams having been instructed to self-isolate as much as possible. Phase 2 – Early June In early June, it is expected that teams will be permitted to return to home facilities for small groups, voluntary, as well as on-and-off-ice training. Phase 3 – Not Earlier than First Half of July It will not begin any earlier than the first half of July when formal training camps will begin after guidance from medical and civil authorities. Phase 4 – Timing TBD 24 teams in 2 “hub” cities will compete in Seeding Round Robins, a Qualifying Round, and a conference-based Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2 “hub” cities will be selected from the following: - Chicago, IL - Columbus, OH - Dallas, TX - Edmonton, AB - Las Vegas, NV - Los Angeles, CA - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - Pittsburgh, PA - Toronto, ON - Vancouver, BC Each Conference will be assigned a “hub” city with secure hotels, arena, practice facilities, and in-market transportation. Teams will be limited to 50 personnel in the “hub” city with only a small number of support staff permitted to enter the event areas. Timing and sites will be determined at a future date and will be dependent on COVID-19 conditions, testing ability, and government regulations. Competitive Format In each Conference, teams were seeded based on points percentage. Round Robin: The top 4 teams will play for First Round seeding (regular-season overtime rules in effect). Qualifying Round: The remaining 8 teams will play a Best-of-5 series to advance to the First Round (playoff overtime rules in effect) First Round and Second Round: Format (seeding vs. bracket) and series lengths have yet to be determined. Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final: Best-of-7 series The winners from the Qualifying Round play the top 4 seeds in the First Round. Individual First Round series matchups remain to be determined. City 1 Team Conf. Rank P% Boston Bruins: .714 Tampa Bay Lightning: .657 Washington Capitals: .652 Philadelphia Flyers: .645 Pittsburgh Penguins: .623 Carolina Hurricanes: .596 New York Islanders: .588 Toronto Maple Leafs: .579 Columbus Blue Jackets: .579 Florida Panthers: .565 New York Rangers: .564 Montreal Canadiens: .500 City 1 – Round Robin for Seeding in First Round Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Philadelphia Flyers City 1 – Best-of-5 Qualifying Round #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #12 Montreal Canadiens #6 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #11 New York Rangers #7 New York Islanders vs. #10 Florida Panthers #8 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #9 Columbus Blue Jackets City 2 Team Conf. Rank P% St. Louis Blues: .662 Colorado Avalanche: .657 Vegas Golden Knights: .606 Dallas Stars: .594 Edmonton Oilers: .585 Nashville Predators: .565 Vancouver Canucks: .565 Calgary Flames: .564 Winnipeg Jets: .563 Minnesota Wild: .558 Arizona Coyotes: .529 Chicago Blackhawks: .514 City 2 – Round Robin for Seeding in First Round St. Louis Blues Colorado Avalanche Vegas Golden Knights Dallas Stars City 2 – Best-of-5 Qualifying Round #5 Edmonton Oilers vs. #12 Chicago Blackhawks #6 Nashville Predators vs. #11 Arizona Coyotes #7 Vancouver Canucks vs. #10 Minnesota Wild #8 Calgary Flames vs. #9 Winnipeg Jets NHL Draft The NHL also announced the Draft Lottery system will be held after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup expanded playoff version. PLAYER MOVEMENT UCONN suffered a big loss to their offense for the upcoming hockey season. Ruslan Iskharov, a 2018 Second-Round pick (43rd overall) by the New York Islanders signed a one-year deal to play in Europe with TPS Turku (Finland-FEL). Last season as a sophomore with the Huskies, Iskharov scored nine goals and had 21 points in 32 games, the same numbers as his Freshmen year. It’s the second consecutive year that UCONN has seen a player exit for Europe. Matej Blumel was on campus for three weeks and never played a minute. The Edmonton Oilers draft pick signed a pro deal with HC Litvinov (Czech Republic-CEL). Iskharov's signing makes 30 college players who have turned professional in Europe including 25 underclassmen who have left school early. Springfield’s Donald Audette signs a one-year deal with Lukko Rauma (Finland-FEL) for next year. Kelly Klima, son of former NHL’er Petr Klima, is expected to leave the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners and head back to the Czech Republic and join his twin brother Kevin on HK Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic-CEL) making 20 AHL players heading for Europe next season. 14 of the league's 31 teams have seen at least one player sign in Europe. Brock Beukeboom (Greenwich), the son of former Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach, Jeff Beukeboom, leaves the Odense Bulldogs (Denmark-DHL) and signs a deal with the Frederikshavn White Hawks (Denmark-DHL) next season. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers should see three new faces at training camp as the parent NY Islanders signed three draft picks to entry-level contracts. They include Felix Bibeau from Chicoutimi (QMJHL) who was a 2019 sixth-round pick (178th overall) while he was with Rouyn-Noranda. Joining him will be Cole Coskey, the Islanders seventh-round pick (209th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. Coskey established career-highs in points (80), goals (34) and assists (46) in 62 games last season with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. Finally, Blade Jenkins, the Islanders fifth-round pick (134th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, scored 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 47 games last season with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. The Jackson, Michigan native posted a career-high plus-12 rating in his third season with Saginaw. In 182 career OHL games, Jenkins recorded 143 points (59 goals, 84 assists). Jenkins, the Islanders fifth-round pick (134th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, scored 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 47 games last season with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. The NAHL Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks got three player commitments in Alex Duncan (Northern Cyclones-NCDC), Hank McDonough (Selects Academy at South Kent Prep U-18), and Jason Kleinhans (Kent School-CTPREP). Three players from Alabama-Huntsville (WCHA) after the program has been terminated, have transferred to other schools. Liam Izyk (Boston College), Tanner Hickey (Arizona St.), and Josh Latta (UMASS-Lowell) who did so two weeks ago prior to the announcement. The Long Island University Sharks announced on Tuesday that the school has named Colgate Assistant Coach, Brett Riley, to lead the newly added men’s hockey program slated to start with the 2020-21 season. “We are excited that Brett is joining our Shark Nation family,” LIU athletics director Dr. William Martinov Jr. said in a statement. “He has great experience with establishing a new program. He is a fantastic recruiter, and he understands the importance of an exceptional student-athlete experience.” Coaching is a major part of Riley’s family hockey tree as three family members have been the head coach at Army West Point over the past 70 years. His grandfather, Jack, coached the Black Knights until 1986 when he was replaced by his son, Rob, Brett’s father. Rob Riley, is currently a scout for the NHL Buffalo Sabres and was replaced by his brother, Brian (Brett’s uncle), in 2004. Bill’s son, Bill Riley Jr., was the head coach at UMass Lowell (HE) from 1969 to 1991. Brett has two cousins that were involved in the college hockey game, Jack (2013-18) and Brendan (2016-20). Both played at Mercyhurst (AHA), while Jack is now an assistant coach at Manhattanville (UCHC). A native of South Hamilton, Mass., Riley graduated from Hobart College (UCHC that was in the ECAC West in those days) in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in history. He was a three-time ECAC West All-Academic Team selection in his four-year career with the Statesmen. ECHL There is plenty of speculation that the Montreal Canadians will be fielding an ECHL team in Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec. The brand new $60 million (Canadian) Colisee de Trois-Rivieres is nearing completion, but like everything else, it too has been affected by COVID-19 and it's opening will be delayed until December and not September as was initially hoped. So any team will have to start in 2021-22. The new building will have 4,390 seats and replaces the old Colisee that seated 2,700. That building was constructed in 1938 with 18 all-important corporate loge seats, two loge areas with universal access, and two VIP lounges. The Canadiens are looking to extend their brand throughout Quebec and have all their hockey ops their. They appeal to the francophone fan base and are very much interested. Their practice rink is in Brossard on the South Shore, and their AHL team is in Laval on the North Shore at Place Bell extending it so close to Quebec City 129 kilometers (80 miles) away would stamp the CH further north. The one hitch is they don’t want the ECHL's Newfoundland (St. John’s) Growlers owner Dean MacDonald involved. “The Canadiens are willing to commit to becoming the principal associate for an ECHL team franchise,” said Montreal VP of Hockey Ops and Legal Affairs, John Sedgwick in a letter to the Trois-Rivieres Mayor Jean Lamarche that appeared in a French-language publication Le Nouvelliste Trois-Rivieres on January 16th. In the same piece, France-Margaret Belanger, the Executive VP of Commercial Affairs for the Canadiens, made remarks to Lamarche stating that the Canadiens want to be involved, but the team wanted no affiliation with MacDonald, who helped run the AHL St. John’s IceCaps along with Glenn Stanford, when Montreal was there before the AHL team was moved to Laval. Former NHL’er and local native, Marc-Andre Bergeron, who's the owner of the local independent Can-AM minor league baseball team (the Aigles-Eagles), and a part NASCAR owner, has been hired by MacDonald’s group to work with the facility to become the main tenant. Perhaps they intend on purchasing an existing ECHL franchise and relocating them. That would seem like a logical business decision. Last week, in a virtual meeting, progress seemed to have been made between the city and the representatives to bring minor pro hockey to the new arena. “It was a very cordial meeting. It feels like we are on the same wavelength. It is moving forward. It remains complex as a file since there are catering, events, a ticket office that are involved, in particular, so there are points to be clarified before we can tie it all, except that I am confident that we are going in the right direction,” Bergeron stated. He is being assisted by consultant Mark Weightman, a former Montreal Alouettes executive at this meeting. “I think his presence was appreciated by the City. He can be useful in many sectors, with his experience. He was very involved in today's discussion.” in a story published by Le Nouvelliste Trois Rivieres on May 19th. Lamarche also wants the local college team at UQTR (the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres) Patriotes to play in the building, but the 14 home games in Canadian college hockey is not much, so a second major hockey tenant is needed. The QMJHL is available, but they have said the league is not interested in expanding the arena located at the junction of Route 55 and 40 and is 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) from Shawinigan. That Cataractes who had a great rivalry with the former Q team in the city, the Draveurs-Loggers (the first four years were called the Duc-Duke) (1969-1992) would need to be paid a territorial compensation if they went the junior route. The QMJHL Commissioner of 30 years, Gilles Courteau, is a big proponent of the ECHL team in TR as it will allow a first pro step in Quebec for Q players and those who want to take the collegiate route would have UQTR there as well in an article in publication Le Nouvelliste Trois-Rivieres on January 26th. The city of Montreal is 150 kilometers (93 miles) away and it makes perfect sense to have a team close enough to Laval for movement of several Canadiens prospects and injury recalls. Finding several regional owners for an ECHL team in Trois Rivieres should be fairly easy to share the hockey ops and business expenses with the Canadiens with their vast fortune chipping in to make the difference. The ECHL should also find good solid ownership to revive Manchester, NH market, and help complete the 32-32-32 hockey puzzle with the NHL and AHL that has been desired. The local rink, the Jean-Guy Talbot Arena was built in the 1960’s was named for the defenseman who played for the Canadiens from 1955-1967 and played over 1,000 NHL games. Jean Guy-Talbot 87, was the Rangers coach for one season (1977-78), the new Colisee will have a second rink to help local minor hockey. Read the full article

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The NHL’s wild alternate season plan, explained

Moving straight to playoff hockey? Yes please.

On Tuesday night the NHL unveiled its plan to resume play this season in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, and inside of all the proposed plans leagues are coming up with, this is hands-down the absolute best.

The 2020 regular season is cancelled. There will be no more games played, the slate is wiped clean. The league will instead transition into a 24-team playoff format, which rewards teams that had the best records entering the suspension of play, while widening the field to give more teams a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

How is this going to work?

The league will take the top four teams in each conference by points percentage and put them in a pool. These teams will play a mini, Round Robin tournament to determine the seeding for the playoffs. As it stands these teams will be:

East: Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals.

West: Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights.

The remaining 16 teams will face off in play-in series’ to decide who faces who in the first round. These series are set in stone based on their points percentages, so we know how this preliminary round will look.

East

Penguins (5th) vs. Canadiens (12th)

Hurricanes (6th) vs. Rangers (11th)

Islanders (7th) vs. Panthers (10th)

Maple Leafs (8th) vs. Blue Jackets (9th)

West

Oilers (5th) vs. Blackhawks (12th)

Predators (6th) vs, Coyotes (11th)

Canucks (7th) vs. Wild (10th)

Flames (8th) vs. Jets (9th)

Naturally seeding for these play-in teams would occur based on their standing entering the series. For example, if the Blackhawks upset the Oilers they would enter the playoffs as the lowest seed, and play the first place team from the Western Conference round robin.

This format is not great for teams like the Hurricanes:

Obviously there are no easy solutions to neatly wrap up a season that has been unlike any we’ve ever seen or, hopefully, we’ll ever see again, but it’s especially galling when you look at the standings around the league and see that the Hurricanes would have had a bye — a bye! — in the West, yet in the East they’re staring directly down the barrel of not even making the “real” playoffs.

Tom Hunter from our Colorado Avalanche site, Mile High Hockey, thinks it may be a bit too intricate.

“In typical NHL fashion, the league seems to have made their return to play plan more complicated than it needs to be. Two draft lotteries, a new ‘play-in’ component and a 16 team playoff that may or may not include a best of five series for the first two rounds. The way the league put together the format only makes sense when you remember that the league needs to create as many games as possible to fulfill television contracts.”

Where would games be played?

There was speculation the NHL would select a single host city to handle games, however under this new plan there would be two “hub” cities, one for the east and one for the west to handle the respective tournaments.

These locations have not been finalized, but current prospective cities are: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver.

These locations would allow for players to be monitored and routinely tested, as well as keeping them as isolated as possible for the safety of players and NHL employees. Under the plan teams would each be limited to having 50 personnel each in their host cities to limit the amount of people who come in contact with each other.

When is this set to begin?

There is no concrete date on when the NHL will resume play. The league is waiting to see how the pandemic progresses to finalize details, however there is a loose plan for how the playoff will begin using a four phase system.

Phase 1 (Tuesday): Announcing the league’s intentions to end the regular season and convert to the 24 team playoff.

Phase 2 (June): Return to play plan announced to teams and the public with host cities and final details.

Phase 3 (July): A mini training camp for teams and players to return to playing condition before starting the playoffs.

Phase 4 (No date): Commencement of round robin, qualifying round and playoff play.

So is this a good idea?

The hallmark moment for the start of the coronavirus crisis for sports fans was the announcement that March Madness would be cancelled. We missed out on one of the most exciting months in sports with nothing to take its place. This expanded NHL Playoff format would immediately garner attention for its uniqueness, and give every sports fan, not just dedicated hockey fans, an event to look forward to.

Kent Basky from our Canucks Site, Nucks Misconduct, weighed in on how fans are feeling about the return.

The return to action is something that definitely has Canucks fans excited, which is partly based on the game returning, a general vibe of seeing the team making positive strides this season, and most importantly, the first playoff appearance in 5 years for the team. As far as whether a return to action without a vaccine is a good idea, the fanbase is predictably mixed.

There is nothing in sports like playoff hockey, period. The intensity, the drama — we’re getting more of all that. While winning the Stanley Cup this year might have an asterisk attached to it in the history books, changing the season format is an excellent way not only to ensure we have a winner — but also do so in the fairest, most drama-packed way possible.

Fans will not be in attendance, at this point we all know that, but that could also bring a unique aspect to watching hockey. As the UFC showed us, there’s a certain allure to being able to hear things we just don’t get to during crowded sporting events, and this gives the opportunity to learn about the sport in ways many might not be able to appreciate.

The NHL isn’t trying to push the season back and awkwardly resume mid-way, but instead giving us a well-rounded, and most important well-reasoned way for the league to finish up the year. Whenever this playoff tournament takes place it’s going to be a blast, while hopefully safe — and I’m so excited for it.

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paradoxicalca · 6 years ago

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r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Feeling Blue Edition

/r/Hockey NHL Power Rankings Week Oct 14, 2019 - Oct 20, 2019Thank YouThank you to all of the volunteers doing the power rankings. Each ranker has their own system and have their own reasonings and analyis. It truly is a lot of work.RankersSpoilerOrganizersSpoilerVisualizationThe visualization contains historical data, so you can see how your team has done over time. Hopefully, we can run this for many years in hopes that we can see the rise and fall of teams by /r/hockey opinion.It automatically updates so feel free to bookmark. You can find it hereProcessHow does this work? Throughout the course of the week rankers are able to access an app that will allow them to rank teams. At the end of the period we calculate the average ranking for every team and collate all of the analysis provided by rankers.The app then generates a post that is first proofread and then posted to /r/hockey!Rankings (28/31 Rankers Reporting)Ranking (avg)TeamDeltaOverall RecordRecord This WeekComments1 (1.52)Colorado Avalanche-7-0-13-0-1Avs are strange they are winning, but at the same time they are very sloppy with many issues. The giveaways are sometimes out of control and the defense is often scattered. The Power Play is bad right now very stationary missing Barrie hurts. The first line looks normal which is unusual for a line that is typically so dominant. On the positive this team is a collective unit and its depth is showing up. The stars are flashing at different times and different lines are breaking through each night. Whether Kadri, Burakovsky, or Jost players are replacing the top lines dominance. The top line is still a sleeping giant and I worry for the rest of the league when it wakes up. Calder update: not a great week for Makar which is saying something still multiple assists on the week and 7 points in 8 games so far.2 (3.86)Edmonton Oilers37-1-12-1-13 (4.07)Buffalo Sabres27-1-13-1-0Its obvious that the west coast style of hockey was a shock to us, but we still managed to pull off 4/6 points for the trip. Victor Olofsson has cooled off a bit along with the powerplay, but our 5 on 5 play has been exceptional to compensate. Rasmus Dahlin is now second on the team in scoring to Eichel and second in PIMs to Kyle Okposo, who along with the Roaring 20's line has looked fantastic. We can't continue this pace forever, but I can dream right?4 (5.07)Boston Bruins-25-1-21-0-2The Bruins started off strong this week with a big win against the Ducks and Pasta scoring 4 goals! The rest of week had middling results with a shootout loss to the Bolts and an OTL to the Leafs. The Bruins still struggle to score 5v5 against the Bolts with all 3 goals coming on the PP. More secondary scoring is starting to show up on the scoresheet which helps but not at the level the team would like. The Bruins need more than the first line putting up points.5 (6.41)Carolina Hurricanes-36-3-01-2-06 (6.69)Vegas Golden Knights-6-3-02-1-0The Golden Knights are boasting one of the league's best special teams. Cody Glass's addition on the top unit has added an extra dimension to it allowing them to score on 30% of their power play chances. The penalty kill has only allowed two goals while scoring 4 short handed. Marc-Andre Fleury has been lights out lately playing like a Vezina candidate. But you have to ask the question if the Golden Knights are playing Fleury too much having him play all but one period in the season.7 (7.79)Anaheim Ducks36-3-02-2-0Ducks are living on the edge. Finishing problems have not been solved but Rakell looks night and day better than last season. Current team mood(not including Calgary): https://ift.tt/33urMd4 With wins over Buffalo and Carolina, the ducks look to shock teams thinking they can pull 4 points from a socal swing. Also does anyone have a power play goal for sale?8 (7.83)Washington Capitals-6-2-23-1-0Holtby has been much improved these last couple of games. Which is great news for Caps fans and bad news for everyone else. I think he may have realized his payday is coming up and he needs to get his numbers back to 2016-17 year. Although I would be okay with him repeating his playoff numbers from 17-18.9 (8.66)Pittsburgh Penguins56-3-02-1-0Despite having the most extensive injury list to start the season the boys are still playing at an elite level and winning games against tough opponents. Even in a loss against Vegas that game was kept close until very late but the Flower is going to do what he does best.10 (9.03)Toronto Maple Leafs-15-3-12-1-011 (12.21)Tampa Bay Lightning-4-3-12-1-0I really don't know what to make of this team yet. D has looked solid, and the PK hasn't been terrible (just need to win more faceoffs). The offense seemed to pick it up a little more, generating 46 shots against Colorado. The powerplay however, has looked awful, dropping from 28% last season to 16% this season.12 (13.86)Nashville Predators-4-3-11-1-1Well, the good news is the Preds found their missing PP. The bad news is now we need to start putting up flyers for their PK.13 (15.03)New York Islanders75-3-03-0-0Isles look to be getting into a groove now. Goaltending is solid and Mat Barzal is showing off his scoring while Nelson follows his regular Brocktober schedule. Wahlstrom being called up is very exciting with him showing some great skills, despite not getting his first goal yet. Next week's roster moves will be interesting, with Eberle hopefully returning to health and Dobson riding watching from upstairs lats couple of games.14 (15.03)Montreal Canadiens44-3-22-2-015 (15.21)St. Louis Blues-83-2-30-1-2This team is still hungover. Good play from some players but not really cohesive yet. Still early in the season though.16 (15.59)Calgary Flames-5-4-13-1-0A 3-1 week was the bounce back that the Flames needed, however an abysmal effort leading to a 4-1 loss against LA leaves fans wondering what kind of team the Flames are this year.17 (15.83)Arizona Coyotes54-2-13-0-0While the Coyotes have had one of the top D-groups in the league since last season, offense has finally started clicking for the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes have taken 9 of the last 10 available points, scoring 4.6 gpg over the previous week, and only allowing 2 gpg. The PP has heated up to over 30% in this time frame, and Darcy Kuemper set a franchise record for most consecutive games allowing 2 of fewer goals. Kuemper has not allowed more than 2 goals against now since March.18 (16.1)Vancouver Canucks55-3-03-1-0I suppose I should say something I'm thankful for this year, but as a true Canucks fan I'd rather just be an entitled little egg eater and not give thanks for anything. This team is pretty good, but what I really deserve this year is a Stanley Cup win, or maybe the first overall draft pick if we miss the playoffs. Ideally, the Canucks will win both, otherwise it's time to #firebenning. Anyway, The Canucks turned around their early season slide with a very convincing win at home vs. the Kings and a less-convincing shootout win vs. the Flyers. The top line continues to be somewhat stifled, but that's okay because there are now various interesting players to watch on this team. Miller and Hughes have both come exactly as-advertised, Markstorm is tight, and Pearson appears intent on revitalizing his career. Myers is big, and while I don't know how his play will end up on statlines, he is very fun to watch.19 (17)Winnipeg Jets-65-5-01-2-0Tough, week was tough. Last week saw us win 3 in a row, this week saw us lose 3 in a row. The truth is we're probably somewhere in the middle of that. No one is doubting this teams offensive depth or skill level, The defense continues to leave much to be desired. Rumblings of Buff's return continue to give us this false sense of hope about the season. The tenders have been decent, through this tough stretch. Not alot to say at this point. The forward core is good enough to score on anyone, but if they run into a hot goalie, like they did vs the Isles they are going to lose. Frustration isn't the correct word, I'd say it's more of a malais. Also, they failed to sell out a game for the first time in 2.0 history, I understand it was vs the Gila River Coyotes on a Tuesday while there was snow on the ground on October 15th, but still, not a great sign.20 (20.34)Florida Panthers13-2-32-0-1Can the Panthers end a game in regulation? Can the Panthers hold on to a lead? No and no. But they managed to win against Nashville without Barkov, pretty good.21 (21.79)Columbus Blue Jackets33-3-21-0-2Three solid performances this week, but both overtime losses were games that were very winnable. Poor power play performance continues to plague the Jackets and this year the penalty kill seems to be having issues too. Cam Atkinson is on the right wing side on the PP and it doesn't seem to be working. Outside of special teams, though, the young Jackets team has looked pretty good at driving the game though puck possession. There were multiple shifts vs Chicago that were a minute plus of sustained pressure and chances in 5 on 5 situations. Only issue here is burying chances which should eventually happen if this play keeps up. Two tough opponents this week should be a good test. Expect to see Elvis get his first win soon!22 (22.86)Philadelphia Flyers-52-3-10-3-0Thanks to the backup ranker, I'm a student who is working as well so sometimes time escapes me. Thanks again for covering last week. That being said, the flyers made me sad and I want them to not suck. Oilers hurt our Goodboye(tm) Hart, we lost to the flames who I feel we should have at least been able to take to overtime, and I dont want to talk about the stars game. Lets just hope that we do that hockey thing better this week.23 (23.48)New York Rangers-82-4-00-3-0This team's starting to look a little more as I expected. Actually a little worse than I figured. It may have been due to the schedule, but holy shit was this a painful week. There were only about 20 minutes of hockey that I was hyped about this week and that was the third period against the Canucks. Defense needs to be addressed and the forward lines need to be sorted out. Andersson still deserves more minutes and Kakko should get time with the first line and possibly even the first power play unit. Hopefully this upcoming week gets better.24 (23.52)San Jose Sharks33-5-01-1-0Much better week for the Sharks. The rookies are starting to look more comfortable, and everything is starting to fall into place. The team is starting to regain confidence and everyone's playing much better than the first week.25 (23.62)Chicago Blackhawks32-3-12-1-0Kirby Dach made his NHL debut last night. The 3rd line of Saad-Kampf-Kubalik has been the most consistent, and arguably our best line so far. They have a 60.75 CF% and 67.90 FF% at even strength, and the team has a 46.54 CF% and 42.91 FF% when none of them are on the ice. The Hawks are a much more physical team, averaging 31.3 hits/game, up from 16.5 last season. But are hurt by poor special teams: they are 3 for 18 on the PP (16.7%) and 12 for 18 on the PK (66.7%).26 (23.79)Los Angeles Kings-13-5-01-2-0no bueno for the kings this week, Drew Doughty may have exerted dominance in his love-hate relationship with Matthew Tchakuk. along with a flying Mark Giordano superman appearance. The Kings look poised for mediocrity or worse again.27 (23.86)Detroit Red Wings-83-5-00-3-0We expected regression to hit at some point, things took a turn for the worse as they went 0-3 getting killed by VAN/CGY. The “veterans” seem to be hindering development. Dropping Bertuzzi from the top line to create “balanced” scoring was unnecessary by Blashill as no increased production came from Athanasiou along with decreases in Larkin/Mantha hot start. Most teams in the league load up a top line(COL/BOS) or have players to spread out(VGK/STL). Detroit is definitely not the latter and having Darren Helm on the top line kill many opportunities for Larkin/Mantha. Defense is still lackluster outside of Hronek and the Goaltending is still hard to evaluate since the defense is playing so poor. However I still maintain that Howard and Bernier do well enough to keep the WIngs in games. Their loss against EDM was a good step forward as Bertuzzi rejoined the top line near the end of the game and they were able to keep the EDM studs from running up the score.28 (27.59)New Jersey Devils22-4-22-1-0WE DID THE THING! It may have taken us longer than everyone else but we did it and against the Rags, making it all the sweeter. Predictably, the rampant calling for Hynes' head in the sub and GDTs have largely subsided, though he is still very much on the hot seat. Hughes got his first goal of hopefully many against his brother's team, and it ended up being the GW and only goal. The team as a whole seems much more cohesive and the pieces are starting to fall into place. And in possibly the best news of the week, we signed Nico long term, 7 years 7.25 AAV with a MNTC. Having Nico signed until 2027 is a relief knowing exactly how much a high talent player will be making before the offseason hits.29 (28.24)Dallas Stars-32-7-11-3-0If you're panicking this week, I don't blame you. I am, too. Things went almost as bad as they could have. The negatives are many. We're all aware of them, so let's try to be optimistic. What went right this week? Hintz and Heiskanen continue to deliver. Bishop showed he can still stand on his head for a win. Perry and Gurianov look promising. Can we take our successes against Philly and triumph against the Senators tonight? Can we use this win to build momentum and get key players back to playing elite hockey? Lets hope... otherwise, it's going to get messy, and you'd have to imagine that drastic changes are on the table.30 (29.97)Ottawa Senators-11-5-10-2-1An incredibly boring loss against the Minnesota Mild this week pointed the Sens' tank back in the right direction this week. Despite an incredible performance from Nilsson in Las Vegas and finally recording a goal on the powerplay, the team managed no wins and only a single point over the course of this week - exactly the kind of performance they want to continue if they wish to remain at 31st in the standings for the best possible shot at 1st overall pick in the 2020 draft. The only concerning part about this week is in Chabot, Tkachuk, White, and Zaitsev all clearly looking frustrated by the team's struggles; It will be a test of new coach DJ Smith and the "veteran presence" guys that Dorion brought in to keep locker room morale up in this tough rebuild year.31 (30.14)Minnesota Wild-2-6-02-2-0This blurb requires more effort than the Minnesota Wild have shown so far this season. Were it not for a dumpster fire of a matinee game against Ottawa, Minny would still be looking for their first win of the season going into Sunday's tilt against Montreal. 8 games in and Brad Hunt is the leading the team in points. Seems pretty fitting as the rest of the team is playing like total Hunts (unfortunate that one important key on my keyboard is broken). r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 3: Feeling Blue Edition Source

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kikiskeysgame · 6 years ago

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Kiki's Game Preview to the Chicago Blackhawks-Edmonton Oilers Game (10/14/2019)

Previously in the Blackhawks' last game: The Blackhawks will be coming off a 3-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets last Saturday night, making it their first loss in overtime this season. The team also recorded 36 hits in the game, making it their third straight game with 29-plus hits and the most hits that they have totaled in a game since December 6, 2015 against Winnipeg. Brandon Saad scored his first short-handed goal of the season, making it his first goal since March 13, 2019 against Toronto; last season, Saad shared 9th in the NHL with three short-handed goals. Ryan Carpenter got his first point as a Blackhawk with an assist on Saad's goal, making it his first assist since March 30, 2019 against San Jose when he played for the Vegas Golden Knights. Brent Seabrook scored his first goal of the season, making it his first goal since January 14, 2019 against New Jersey. He also led all Blackhawks defensemen with 4 hits in the game. Dominik Kubalik got his first NHL assist on Seabrook's goal; he has gotten two points in two consecutive games. He also had 4 hits during the game and currently leads the team in hits (with 12). Duncan Keith got his second assist of the season on Seabrook's goal. He also tied with Calvin de Haan with three giveaways during the game. Drake Caggiula led all Blackhawks forwards with 5 hits during the game. He is currently second on the team in hits (with 10). Robin Lehner made his season debut with the Blackhawks as the starting goaltender; he made 30 saves out of 33 shots on goal during the game. Blackhawks vs. Oilers: Tonight will be the first of three matchups between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers; they will face each other twice in Edmonton on November 1st and on February 5, 2020. Last season, the Edmonton Oilers finished in 7th place in the Pacific Division and 14th place in the Western Conference with a record of 35-38-9; their home record was 18-19-4 and their road record was 17-19-5. They did not qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Last season, the Blackhawks were 0-1-1 at the United Center and 1-1-0 in Edmonton; their last win against the Oilers was on February 5, 2019 (6-2). The last time the Blackhawks defeated the Oilers on home ice was on January 7, 2018 (4-1). The Oilers are coming off a 4-1 win last Saturday night against the New York Rangers, making it their 5th consecutive win. Leon Draisaitl (who scored two), Connor McDavid (who had an assist as well) and Oscar Klefbom (who also had an assist) each scored goals in the game. Ethan Bear, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse each got assists in the game as well. Mike Smith was the winning goaltender; he made 20 saves out 21 shots on goal. Players To Be Aware Of: Connor McDavid (who currently leads the team in points & assists; he has gotten 4 goals & 8 assists in his last 5 games; he had a multi-point game with a goal & an assist in the Oilers' last game; last season, he had 116 points with 41 goals & 75 assists) Leon Draisaitl (who is currently second on the team in points; he has gotten 4 goals & 7 assists in his last 5 games; he had a multi-point game with a goal & 2 assists in the Oilers' last game; last season, he had 105 points with 50 goals & 55 assists) James Neal (who currently leads the team in goals; he has gotten 7 goals in 4 out of his last 5 games; last season, he had 19 points with 7 goals & 12 assists while playing for the Calgary Flames)

#chicago blackhawks #edmonton oilers #game preview

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: Quinn Hughes Watch Begins, Thoughts on Namestnikov, Grubauer, Markstrom (March 10)

Philipp Grubauer had a relatively easy time against the Sabres, stopping all 18 shots he faced in posting his second shutout as a member of the Avalanche. The shutout was also his second in his last three starts, with the last one coming on February 23. Although Jared Bednar continues to mainly give Semyon Varlamov the nod, the Avalanche need to make a goaltending decision this summer with Varlamov a pending UFA. The Avs are in a playoff battle, so Bednar may be more inclined to give the starts to the devil he knows. However, Grubauer’s recent strong play could result in an increased frequency of starts down the stretch.

Nathan MacKinnon did his thing for the Avs in the win, scoring a goal and adding two helpers.

Nathan MacKinnon vs. The World pic.twitter.com/DLjPo6Os0X

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2019

Vladimir Tarasenko missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, which is considered day-to-day. Jaden Schwartz moved up to the top line with Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly. He was held without a point in spite of playing nearly 21 minutes. Schwartz has now been held without a point in each of his last eight games. So if a move up to the top line doesn’t help, then nothing will this season.

Speaking of the top line: Since returning from injury, Schenn has five points (2g-3a) in three games, including a goal on Saturday.

In a winning cause, Timo Meier scored two goals, his 25th and 26th of the season. After a strong first half, Meier had cooled off in the new year with just three goals in 23 games in January and February. The switch has turned on in March with five goals over his last four games. Just in time for your fantasy playoffs.

In front of many local Leafs’ fans who had saved their money for their team’s one trip to Edmonton (and at a time friendly to the Leafs’ fans back home), John Tavares scored a goal and added two assists in the Leafs’ 3-2 win. After being held without a point in a difficult return to Long Island, JT has scored eight points over his last four games, which he has heard many more cheers from (home game against Buffalo and road games in Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton). Tavares’ 38 goals this season now matches his career high.

Morgan Rielly also scored for the Leafs while firing six shots on goal. He’s on a four-game point streak and has goals in three of his last four games. With 65 points in 68 games, Rielly trails only Brent Burns in scoring among defensemen.

Nazem Kadri returned to the Leafs’ lineup on Saturday, recording an assist in 12:50 of icetime while returning to the first-unit power play.

Anthony Stolarz wasn’t bad in his first start as an Oiler, stopping 37 of 40 shots he faced in the loss. If I’m understanding this correctly, I believe Stolarz would need to play eight more games in order for the Oilers to be able to sign him as an RFA and not a UFA (he played 35 minutes in his only other appearance as an Oiler). For that to happen, Stolarz would need to play more minutes than Mikko Koskinen the rest of the way, which is something I don’t see happening unless Stolarz goes on a magical late-season run.

As Flip mentioned in his Saturday’s NHL Picks piece, the Boston Bruins have not lost in regulation since before the All-Star break. With a win against the hapless Senators on Saturday, the Bruins are now 15-0-4 since January 29. That’s great news for Tuukka Rask owners, as he has won 10 of his last 11 games. Since the beginning of February, Rask has a 1.97 GAA and a .923 SV%. His ratios by quarter, taken from his player profile:

Quarter

GAA

SV%

2.78

0.912

2.40

0.921

2.15

0.924

1.50

0.929

By the way, the Senators have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with the loss. Not that it was any surprise.

Nikita Kucherov scored twice in the Lightning’s 3-2 win over Detroit. Kucherov is now up to 110 points, while no other player has reached 100 points yet (not that anyone should be expected to reach 100 points yet). The Lightning’s next-highest scorer (Brayden Point) has “just” 82 points, which is a full 28 points back. Then Steven Stamkos at 79, but then there’s a huge drop down to fourth with Victor Hedman at 43 points. Kucherov checks all of the boxes for the Hart Trophy for me.

I thought I’d been seeing Vladislav Namestnikov’s name in the boxscore more often lately, and his recent numbers prove it. Over his last 12 games, Namestnikov has 11 points (6g-5a), including his three-point game on Saturday. I mentioned him last month when he began his run with another three-point game (2g-1a) after being held without a point in his previous ten games. A commenter who must have watched the game replied that “nothing has changed because both goals were gifts” – one an empty-netter, the other a giveaway by the goalie. Something has changed, though: his icetime. Namestnikov averaged just 13 minutes over the first quarter, while over the last half-dozen games he has averaged 18 minutes. The trades of Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes have likely had that effect.

I might be cherry-picking stats here, but Ryan Strome has 12 points (6g-6a) over his last 14 games, including two goals and an assist on Saturday. Over his last six games he’s also been averaging 18 minutes per game. Looks like a midseason trade has helped not one, but two Strome brothers.

At this time last month, we were worried that an Artemi Panarin trade would hurt Cam Atkinson’s value. That scenario looks like it will still play out – just not until after the season. For the moment, Atkinson continues to roll with another two goals on Saturday, which gives him a career high of 38 goals. As the Blue Jackets attempt to deliver on their all-in playoff push, expect them to ride their leading goal scorer. Atkinson has logged at least 20 minutes in each of his last four games.

Don’t look now, but the Arizona Coyotes have won eight of their past nine games and are right outside the playoff bar. They’ve dealt with a ton of injuries, but are now getting players back that are helping. Christian Dvorak scored his first two goals of the season in just his sixth game, which Michael Grabner scored two goals of his own in his second game back from an eye injury suffered in early December. Then of course there’s Darcy Kuemper, who continues to get it done with his ninth win in his last ten games. In a league where I own Kuemper, I traded for David Rittich a few weeks ago. Now I’m thinking that I didn’t need to trade for Rittich the way that Kuemper has been playing.

With another two goals on Saturday, Nino Niederreiter has 11 goals and 21 points in 22 games as a Hurricane. He’s fitting right in. Not that Wild fans need to be reminded, but Victor Rask has a goal and an assist in 10 games as a member of the Wild. Rask is currently on IR as well.

Johnny Boychuk left Saturday’s game after taking a hit from Jakub Voracek, who might be looking at supplemental discipline.

Jake Voracek injures Johnny Boychuk with a hit. Boychuk tells him "I will get you" pic.twitter.com/YDhon3hUxs

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) March 10, 2019

With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Mark Stone has set a career high with 66 points in 65 games. He’s produced at over a point per game in each of his last two seasons.

Alex Tuch scored a goal and added two assists, all in a first period in which the Golden Knights exploded for five goals. Tuch, the co-leading scorer for the Vegases, entered this game with just four points in his last 16 games. With the addition of Stone, Tuch has been bumped down from the Paul Stastny – Max Pacioretty line to the Cody Eakin line. That’s a significant drop in value.

With a win on Saturday, Marc-Andre Fleury now has wins in each of his last five games. Over that stretch, Flower has an immaculate 0.86 GAA and .970 SV%. He’s now eighth all-time in goaltending wins, passing the great Jacques Plante with his 438th win.

After getting torched for those five goals, Jacob Markstrom was given the mercy pull in favor of Thatcher Demko. It was the first time that the much-improved Markstrom has been pulled this season. In case you’re looking at his season numbers compared to other seasons and thinking “I don’t notice anything,” look at Markstrom’s numbers in December and February in particular. Not enough is mentioned about the effect of goaltending coaches. The Canucks hired Ian Clark last summer, and his teaching has had a positive effect on Marky’s goaltending, just as it did for Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus. Just throw away Saturday’s stinker, which had much to do with the team in front of him.

Michigan has been eliminated from the NCAA playoffs, which means that the Quinn Hughes watch is on. Not that Canucks’ fans have anything else to get excited about while the regular season is still on. Assuming that Hughes signs with the Canucks in short order, I’d expect him to receive limited minutes to start, yet receive at least second-unit power-play duties. After that, he’s a perfect fit for fantasy with a clear path to quarterbacking the Canucks’ first-unit power play next season. You can check out the eldest Hughes brother’s Dobber Prospects profile here.

As mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada, Michigan forward William Lockwood (31 points in 35 games) is also a Canucks’ draft pick, so it’s possible that the Canucks receive two young Wolverines before the end of the season. You can check out Lockwood’s Dobber Prospects profile here.

For more fantasy hockey information, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-quinn-hughes-watch-begins-thoughts-on-namestnikov-grubauer-markstrom-march-10/

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cleopatrarps · 7 years ago

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Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins

The Washington Capitals may not know whom their head coach will be when they open next season, but they know who they’ll play — and when they’ll raise their first Stanley Cup banner.

Jun 4, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck during warm ups prior to the Capitals’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights in game four of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL on Wednesday announced the home-opening date and opponent for all 31 teams for the 2018-19 season, and the champs will play the season’s first game on Oct. 3 against the Boston Bruins. Washington currently holds a 12-game regular-season winning streak against Boston.

The game at Capital One Arena will be one of four scheduled for the first day of the NHL season. Toronto will host Montreal in an Original Six matchup, while on the West Coast Calgary will play at Vancouver and San Jose will host Anaheim.

The following day, Stanley Cup runner-up Vegas will begin its second season at home against Philadelphia.

Less than two weeks after winning the first Cup in franchise history earlier this month, the Caps on Monday learned they will be getting a new head coach next season as Barry Trotz announced his resignation from the club.

Edmonton has the latest home opener next season, dropping the puck for the first time at Rogers Place on Oct. 18 — also against Boston. Much of that has to do with the Oilers opening their season against New Jersey in Sweden on Oct. 6.

The full 1,271-game schedule for 2018-19 will be released Thursday.

—Field Level Media

The post Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2loo7JG via News of World

#Daily World News #Daily Entertainment #Daily Sports #Today News #World The News

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party-hard-or-die · 7 years ago

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Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins

The Washington Capitals may not know whom their head coach will be when they open next season, but they know who they’ll play — and when they’ll raise their first Stanley Cup banner.

The following day, Stanley Cup runner-up Vegas will begin its second season at home against Philadelphia.

The full 1,271-game schedule for 2018-19 will be released Thursday.

—Field Level Media

The post Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2loo7JG via Breaking News

#News Headlines #News Update #Sports Update #Business Update #World The News

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dani-qrt · 7 years ago

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Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins

The Washington Capitals may not know whom their head coach will be when they open next season, but they know who they’ll play — and when they’ll raise their first Stanley Cup banner.

The following day, Stanley Cup runner-up Vegas will begin its second season at home against Philadelphia.

The full 1,271-game schedule for 2018-19 will be released Thursday.

—Field Level Media

The post Caps will open NHL season, raise banner Oct. 3 vs. Bruins appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2loo7JG via Online News

#World News #Today News #Daily News #Breaking News #News Headline #Entertainment News #Sports news #Sci-Tech

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jodyedgarus · 8 years ago

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Vegas Has The Best Expansion Team In The History Of Pro Sports, And It’s Not Close

The Vegas Golden Knights are only halfway through their inaugural season, and they’ve already redefined what anyone thought was possible for an NHL expansion franchise. Against all odds, the Knights are currently 29-10-3 with 61 points, good for the best record in the Western Conference — and only 4 points shy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the entire league. It’s enough to make the Knights hockey’s greatest debut team ever, hands down.

But that’s not all: Vegas is also lapping the field of expansion teams across every major pro sport. Even after adjusting for the way records are distributed in other sports, no other brand-new club in modern history came close to doing what the Knights have done so far. Expansion teams just aren’t supposed to have this kind of success this early.

Constructed as a Frankenstein’s monster of unwanted parts from the rest of the league, a new club is usually very bad indeed. In a franchise’s first season, merely being “competitive” — code for losing but keeping things close most nights — is an admirable goal. And going into this season, there were plenty of people who had trouble seeing the Knights even reaching that modest level of success. Most outlets picked Vegas to finish either last or next-to-last in the Pacific Division.

That was a reasonable expectation based on the past performance of first-year clubs. Our own analysis found that Vegas had dredged more talent out of the expansion-draft pool than normal — but that was just supposed to mean the Knights would exceed historical expectations. It didn’t mean we thought they’d make the playoffs, much less that they’d contend for the Stanley Cup.

So far this season, however, Vegas has picked up 73 percent of the maximum number of points in its games and outscored its opponents by 0.7 goals per game. To compare those marks across NHL seasons, we converted them to z-scores, or the number of standard deviations they sat above or below league average. (This helps us account for changes in the league’s spread of talent over time and allows us to make comparisons between different sports — which will come in handy later.) In both categories, Vegas’s z-scores are easily the top marks for an NHL expansion team since the league blew up the Original Six and added six new teams in 1967-68:1

Vegas is destroying its NHL expansion competitors

Best z-scores (standard deviations relative to average) for point percentage and goals per game differential, NHL expansion teams (1968-2018)

Point percentage YEAR TEAM POINT % – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights 72.6 % +1.73 2 1994 Florida Panthers 49.4 -0.06 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers 49.3 -0.08 4 1968 Los Angeles Kings 48.7 -0.16 5 1968 St. Louis Blues 47.3 -0.32 6 1968 Minnesota North Stars 46.6 -0.40 7 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins 45.3 -0.57 8 1973 Atlanta Flames 41.7 -0.57 9 1971 Buffalo Sabres 40.4 -0.65 10 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 42.3 -0.76 Goal differential YEAR TEAM GPG DIFF. – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.28 2 1994 Florida Panthers +0.0 0.00 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers -0.1 -0.15 4 1968 St. Louis Blues -0.2 -0.36 5 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim -0.3 -0.37 6 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins -0.3 -0.54 7 1973 Atlanta Flames -0.6 -0.58 8 1968 Los Angeles Kings -0.3 -0.62 9 1971 Vancouver Canucks -0.9 -0.77 10 1971 Buffalo Sabres -1.0 -0.85

Full-season statistics are used for all teams except Vegas.

Source: Hockey-Reference.com

The Florida Panthers used to be the model for a successful NHL expansion team. Florida was more than merely competitive in 1993-94 — it finished one win shy of a .500 record and scored exactly as many goals as it allowed. Then, with the good core of talent they had picked up in the expansion draft, the Panthers made the Stanley Cup final three seasons into the franchise’s existence. Before Vegas came along, that was the gold standard for brand-new clubs: solid in the first year, outright good within a couple seasons. But the Knights’ debut has flipped those expectations on their head.

(Yes, it should be noted that the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues made the Cup final in their first season. But that was solely because the NHL dropped all six of its new teams into the same division, the winner of which had to make the final. Every team in the new West division, which housed all the expansion clubs, had a negative goal differential during the regular season, but someone had to win it — and the Blues were that team. They were also swept by the mighty Montreal Canadiens when they played for the Cup.)2

Vegas’s season becomes even more impressive when you compare its z-scores to those of the top expansion teams from other sports. No modern MLB expansion club finished a season any better than the 70-win 1961 Los Angeles Angels; no debut NBA team ever topped the 33 wins of the 1967 Chicago Bulls; no NFL expansion team could beat the 7-9 Carolina Panthers from 1995. Hockey does tend to see its teams’ records more tightly bunched than in such sports as football and basketball, but even after adjusting for that with our z-scores, the Golden Knights’ current season blows away any would-be challenger from the NFL, NBA or MLB since the early 1960s:

Vegas beats other sports’ expansion teams, too

How the Vegas Golden Knights stack up against top expansion teams in each league by z-score* of winning percentage, 1961-2018

Vegas vs. MLB expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1961 Los Angeles Angels -0.3 -0.3 43.5 -0.7 1969 Kansas City Royals -0.6 -0.8 42.6 -0.8 1962 Houston Colt .45’s -0.8 -1.0 40.0 -1.0 1969 Seattle Pilots -1.0 -1.3 39.5 -1.1 1993 Colorado Rockies -1.3 -2.1 41.4 -1.2 Vegas vs. NBA expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1967 Chicago Bulls -3.7 -0.7 40.7 -0.5 1971 Portland Trail Blazers -4.5 -0.9 35.4 -1.0 1969 Milwaukee Bucks -5.1 -1.1 32.9 -1.1 1968 Seattle SuperSonics -6.5 -1.3 28.0 -1.3 1990 Minnesota Timberwolves -4.2 -0.9 26.8 -1.3 Vegas vs. NFL expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1995 Carolina Panthers -2.3 -0.4 43.8 -0.4 1968 Cincinnati Bengals -8.1 -0.8 21.4 -1.1 1967 New Orleans Saints -10.4 -1.2 21.4 -1.3 1961 Minnesota Vikings -8.7 -0.9 21.4 -1.3 1966 Miami Dolphins -10.6 -1.2 21.4 -1.4

*Z-score is the number of standard deviations above/below average, relative to the overall league that season.

Sources: Baseball-Reference.com, Basketball-Reference.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com

One thing that jumps out is that many NHL expansion teams had better z-scores than the best expansion teams in the other sports. But why is it so much easier to build a strong NHL expansion team (relative to the league) than in the other Big Four North American sports? I don’t have a great explanation.

Hockey is the sport with the least reliable individual stats — while scouts’ eye tests can be swayed by recency and other biases — so it may be that the caliber of players left available in the expansion draft is higher than in other sports. Or perhaps the outsize value of goaltending means one good pick between the pipes is enough to carry a team of talent-strapped skaters to respectability. Or maybe good coaching deserves more credit than it sometimes gets around the league. Whatever the reason, expansion teams have done better on ice in general, even before Vegas started to blow the doors off the league.

We know that, in the NHL, it takes a lot of games to tell who’s good and who’s bad — which is why even a hot half-season can turn cold overnight. For Vegas, the heat has been generated by MVP-candidate seasons from the likes of William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault and a near Vezina-worthy performance from Marc-Andre Fleury — all players who were considered expendable as recently as seven months ago. Peeking under the hood, the Knights’ ratio of shots taken to shots allowed at even-strength is nothing special, even after adjusting for score effects and other factors. And let’s face it: Few teams can sustain this pace for an entire season: Of the 24 teams with at least 60 points in their first 42 games since 2005-06,3 only one (last year’s Capitals) had a second-half point percentage as good as it did in the first half of the season.

So it would be logical to assume that a second-half regression could be lurking around the corner for the Golden Knights. But the advanced stats don’t suggest that Vegas has been particularly lucky. In terms of expected goals (which measures where a team’s chances come from in addition to their volume), the Knights have the ninth-best ratio in the league.

Regression or no regression, various projection systems consider the Knights all but a lock to make the playoffs, which would make Vegas the first expansion team to claim that honor since the 1968 season’s standings guaranteed that four new clubs would qualify. Even the in-town sportsbooks are paying attention to the possibility of playoff action in the desert: The Knights are currently tied for the second-best Stanley Cup odds of any team in the league.

For an expansion team, all of this seemed unthinkable going into the season. New franchises aren’t supposed to be instant contenders. They’re supposed to struggle, to require years of building before achieving this kind of success. Vegas clearly doesn’t care about any of that. And now we have an entirely new yardstick with which to compare every other expansion club that comes along in the future, no matter the sport.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/vegas-has-the-best-expansion-team-in-the-history-of-pro-sports-and-its-not-close/

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accuhunt · 8 years ago

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Friday Countdown and High School Football playoff previews

Friday’s High School Playoff Previews

SGV TRIBUNE Friday’s High School Football CIF-SS Playoff Previews Division 1: BISHOP AMAT (5-5) VS. ST. JOHN BOSCO (8-2) AT EL CAMINO COLLEGE, 7 P.M. The Lancers’ five-game winning string came to an end in last week’s loss to Chaminade for the Mission League title, which dropped them to .500 overall. The penalty for losing their first four games of the season is a first-round game against the third seed and defending Division 1 and Open Division state champion. Amat has been great over the years in underdog situations, but this is probably too tall a task.

Division 3: CRESPI (1-9) AT CHARTER OAK (10-0), 7 P.M. The Chargers have been the top-ranked team in Division 3 for weeks and haven’t played a meaningful game in a month after coasting through the Hacienda League. Charter Oak is facing a Celts team with only one win that somehow snuck in the playoffs as an at-large berth. But there is some concern because more than half of the Celts’ losses have come against Division 1 opponents and in the Mission League, which is one of the top leagues in the Southern Section.

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Division 4: DAMIEN (6-4) AT PASO ROBLES (5-5), 7 P.M. The Spartans are certainly prepared after competing in the Baseline League with teams like Division 1 Rancho Cucamonga and Division 2 Upland. Still, there are no easy games in this division and the long road trip could take its toll. The Spartans finished league by snapping a three-game losing streak with a victory over Etiwanda, and maybe that’s what it needed to go on a long playoff run.

Division 4: CORONA SANTIAGO (7-3) VS. GLENDORA (7-3) AT CITRUS COLLEGE The Tartans will need a big effort from quarterback Bryce Wooldridge and their defense to beat Santiago, a team that competes in the Big VII League with Division 1 power Corona Centennial and always tough Norco. Santiago is also coached by Scott Morrison, who is the former Damien and La Puente coach and he has a quarterback in junior Nathaniel Castillo who has thrown for 1,164 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Division 5: LOS ALTOS (7-3) AT MOORPARK (8-2), 7 P.M. The Conquerors advanced to the Division 6 championship last year and despite losing several talented seniors from that team and its coach, new coach Hector Spathias has done a wonderful in leading them to the playoffs. However, this could be a tall order on the road in the San Fernando Valley against a Muskateers team that lost the Camino Real League title last week to always difficult Calabasas.

Division 7: DIAMOND RANCH (7-3) AT PALMDALE (7-3), 7 P.M. The Panthers are not seeded and finished second to undefeated Charter Oak in the Hacienda League. Even in the Panthers’ losses they were competitive and they could be the sleeper of the division. They won’t have an easy time at Palmdale, but if they come away with a victory, maybe a deep playoff run is possible.

Division 8: KAISER (7-3) AT SAN DIMAS (7-3), 7 P.M. The Saints beat Northview in the second-to-last game that ended the Vikings’ 20-game Valle Vista League winning streak and forced a three-way tie for first that included the Saints. They’re playing their best football and that will have to continue against Kaiser, who is always difficult. Glendora opened the season with a 42-20 victory over Kaiser, so maybe the Saints can do the same.

Division 8: NORTHVIEW (7-3) AT MILLIKAN (8-2), 7 P.M. The Vikings and Fresno State-bound quarterback Steven Comstock have a tall order in the first round on the road at Millikan, a team that finished second to power Long Beach Poly in the Moore League. But other than Poly, who Millikan lost to 28-0, the rest of the Moore League was just so-so. However, Millikan does own a 24-16 win over Gahr, so who knows how this will turn out?

Division 11: VICTOR VALLEY (5-5) VS. COVINA (8-2) AT COVINA DISTRICT FIELD, 7 P.M. The Colts are the fourth seed and have a legitimate shot advancing a few rounds and making a championship run. Sophomore quarterback Nin Burns II and sophomore running back Erik Cuellar form a dangerous one-two punch and the Colts have been playing well enough on defense to be optimistic about their chances over the next month.

Division 11: LAKESIDE (7-3) AT ARROYO (10-0), 7 P.M. The defending Division 12 champion Knights are undefeated and seeded second as they begin their journey toward winning a second straight title for coach Jim Singiser. However, their first-round game against Lakeside may be much tougher than a second-seed normally gets. Lakeside can run the ball and has just three losses on the resume. Still, the Knights have been in this position before and know how to handle it.

Division 12: EL DORADO (5-5) AT SOUTH EL MONTE (9-1), 7 P.M. The Eagles are seeded fourth and their only loss came against undefeated Arroyo in the Mission Valley League in a game they lost in the final moments. The Lions will lean on experienced senior running back Sal Tovar who has rushed for 1,636 yards and 24 touchdowns and a defense that only has allowed an average of 9.6 points per game.

Division 13: WORKMAN (4-6) AT SANTA CLARA (8-2), 7 P.M. The Lobos were a surprise entry into the Division 13 playoffs after finishing third in the Montview League, but have a puncher’s chance with sophomore quarterback Ike Udengwu III, who has thrown for 2,038 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Division 13: AZUSA (5-5) AT RIO HONDO PREP (6-3), 7 P.M. The Kares enter the playoffs off a tough loss last week to Pasadena Poly. Sophomore Bryant Flores has rushed for a team-leading 467 yards and has scored four touchdowns. They’ll be facing an Aztecs team that finished second in the Montview League.

STAR-NEWS PREVIEW Division 3: LA SERNA (6-4) AT ST. FRANCIS (9-1), 7 P.M. When it comes to the playoffs in recent years, no area team has had a tougher time getting past the first round more than St. Francis. In two of the past three years, the Golden Knights have suffered first-round defeats.

It’s one of the many storylines that will be played out as St. Francis faces La Serna for the second time this season. St. Francis won the first meeting 49-20 in September.

“(La Serna) is a vastly improved football team from the last time that we saw them,” St. Francis coach Jim Bonds said. “They are throwing the ball a little bit more and doing some different wrinkles with their run game.”

One of the major factors in the Golden Knights’ win over La Serna was the performance of Darius Perrantes, a transfer from Crespi who completed 9 of 14 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown.

“One of the major points we’re telling our players is that we have to forget the game back in September,” Bonds said. “They know what is at stake. We’ve had a great week of practice, so I am excited about Friday night.”

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Division 6: SUMMIT (5-5) AT SAN MARINO (7-2), 7 P.M. The Titans, who finished second in the Rio Hondo League, are led by Beau Hobbie, the grandson of head coach Mike Hobbie. The senior has rushed for a team-leading 1,179 yards with 17 touchdowns.

Summit was one of the six teams that got into the playoffs through the at-large entry process. Senior quarterback Troy Temmink has thrown for 1,564 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Division 7: YORBA LINDA (7-3) AT MONROVIA (4-6), 7 P.M. The Wildcats, champions of the Rio Hondo League, didn’t get an easy draw as they host a Mustangs team that is coached by one of the top coaches in Orange County in Jeff Bailey.

The game figures to be won in the trenches as both teams have terrific running attacks. Monrovia running back Maury Rams IV has rushed for 1,379 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. Yorba Linda will counter with seniors Jayden Webb and Jonah Slack who have rushed for a combined 1,400 yards.

Division 9: MARANATHA (6-4) AT AQUINAS (10-0), 7 P.M. The Minuteman were one of four teams that made the playoffs as an at-large team. Their reward is facing a Falcons team that features one of the top running backs in Southern California in Branden Rankings, a senior who has rushed for 1,675 yards with 29 touchdowns.

Division 10: MONTEBELLO (7-3) VS PASADENA POLY (8-1-1) AT SOUTH PASADENA HS, 7 P.M. The Panthers, champions of the Prep League, figure to be a major battle against an Oilers team that is led by one of the top quarterbacks in the area in Gabriel Tapia. Poly enters the game without the services of all-around standout Matt Queen who is out for the season with a broken ankle.

“We know what we are getting into,” Pasadena Poly coach Chris Schmoke said. “(Tapia) is a big kid with a very live arm. They also have a big offensive line and their running backs are really good.”

Division 11: ARCADIA (7-3) AT HILLCREST (7-3), 7 P.M. The Apaches are seeded third in Division 11 and will take on a Hillcrest team that finished in a five-way tie for first place in the River Valley League.

“They remind me a lot of La Salle,” Arcadia coach Andrew Policky said of Hillcrest. “They are a talented team – we are in for a battle, no question about it.”

Pacific League runner-up Arcadia will once again lean on standout Rolandiss Whitener. The junior leads the team in receiving yards (547) and interceptions (three).

“He’s pretty special,” Policky said of Hillcrest. “A player like him is a game-changer for our program. He’s been there every step of the way for us.”

Hillcrest, a program from the Riverside area that is in its fourth year, is led by quarterback Jalen Jefferson. A transfer two years ago from Corona Centennial, the junior has thrown for 1,565 yards and 14 touchdowns.

WHITTIER PREVIEWS Division 2: EDISON (7-3) AT LA HABRA (7-3), 7 P.M. When the pairings for the CIF Southern Section playoffs were released, lots of football fans circled the game between Edison and La Habra.

“You will not find two more consistent programs in Southern California than the both of us,” La Habra coach Frank Mazzota said. “It’s an intriguing matchup because the both of us know each other really well. We get together over the summer to do a combined football practice and we are in the same 7-on-7 passing league tournaments.”

While the Highlanders won the Freeway League championship last week with a 17-0 win over Fullerton, many observers were scratching their heads over the score.

“We had some weird things happen that night,” Mazzota said. “First, we fumbled the ball twice in the first quarter and that never happens. Also, we had four touchdowns called back for penalties.”

Meanwhile, Edison continues to roll with first-year head coach Jeff Grady replacing longtime coach Dave White. The Chargers finished second in the Sunset League and showcase one of the top quarterbacks in Southern California in Griffin O’Connor. A Yale commit, O’Connor has thrown for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns.

The Highlanders have a solid quarterback of their own in Zach Fogel. The senior has thrown for 1,537 yards and 16 touchdowns. “(Fogel) had a solid a solid year for us,” Mazzota said. “I like the fact that our defense is getting better as well.”

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Division 2: LA MIRADA (5-5) AT HERTIAGE (9-1), 7 P.M. The Matadores, who finished second in the Suburban League, are matched up against a Heritage team that won the Sunbelt League. If La Mirada has any aspirations of pulling off a huge upset, it will be looking to senior quarterback Matthew Takata to lead the way. He has thrown for 882 yards and six touchdowns.

Division 6: ST PAUL (4-6) AT WEST TORRANCE (5-5), 7 P.M. The Swordsmen received an at-large bid into the playoffs and were seeded fourth, They’ll hit the road to play a West Torrance team that finished second in the Pioneer League. Senior Armando Velasco turned in a stellar performance in St. Paul’s 42-6 win over Salesian. rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Division 10: MONTEBELLO (7-3) VS PASADENA POLY (8-1-1) AT SOUTH PASADENA HS, 7 P.M. The Oilers earned their bid to the playoffs after defeating Bell Gardens 45-15. Senior quarterback Gabriel Tapia has thrown for 853 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Oilers will be taking on a Pasadena Poly team that won the Prep League title with a 20-13 win over Rio Hondo Prep. Senior Graham Olson has thrown for 768 yards and nine touchdowns.

Division 10: GAHR (7-3) AT SANTA FE (6-4), 7 P.M. The Chiefs have been the area’s surprise team of the 2017 season. After a tough preseason which saw them win only one of five games, Santa Fe rolled through the Del Rio League and won the program’s first league title since 2011. The Chiefs will be hosting a Gahr team that finished second in the San Gabriel Valley League and is riding a two-game losing streak. Gladiators senior E.J. Gonzalez has thrown for 1,247 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Division 10: WHITTIER (5-5) AT GARDEN GROVE PACIFICA (9-1), 7 P.M. The Cardinals earned their way into the playoffs with a dramatic 21-14 win over El Rancho. Their reward for making the playoffs is a trip to Orange County to take on a Pacifica team that is seeded third in the division. Whittier running back Alex Retana has rushed for 1,091 yards and has scored six touchdowns.

Division 12: SANTA ANA VALLEY (3-7) AT SCHURR (9-1), 7 P.M. The Spartans received the top seed and are riding a seven-game winning streak. Lance Babb II turned in an outstanding performance last week in their win over Alhambra. The senior caught 14 passes for 157 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Spartans will be without the services of wide receiver Jeremiah Hartfield who suffered a season-ending injury last week.

Division 13: ORANGE (8-2) AT CANTWELL SACRED HEART (6-4), 7 P.M. The Cardinals punched their ticket into the playoffs last Friday with a 38-23 victory over Bishop Montgomery. They’ll be hosting a Panthers team that is seeded fourth in the division. Cantwell Sacred Heart junior Jason Morago has rushed for 367 yards and a team-high six touchdowns.

CIF Southern Section Playoff Schedule Football Friday’s First Round Schedule All games start at 7 p.m., unless noted CIF-Southern Section Football Playoffs Friday’s First Round Division 1 Bishop Amat (5-5) vs. St. John Bosco (8-2) at El Camino College Division 2 Edison (7-3) at La Habra (7-3) La Mirada (5-5) at Heritage (9-1) Division 3 Crespi (1-9) at Charter Oak (10-0) La Serna (6-4) at St. Francis (9-1) Division 4 Damien (6-4) at Paso Robles (5-5) Corona Santiago (7-3) vs. Glendora (7-3) at Citrus College Division 5 Los Altos (7-3) at Moorpark (8-2) Division 6 Summit (5-5) at San Marino (7-2) Sonora (6-4) at Saugus (4-6) St. Paul (4-6) at West Torrance (5-5) Division 7 Don Lugo (8-4) at Pomona (6-4) Yorba Linda (7-3) at Monrovia (4-6) Diamond Ranch (7-3) at Palmdale (7-3) Division 8 Kaiser (7-3) at San Dimas (7-3) Northview (7-3) at Millikan (8-2) Division 9 Maranatha (6-4) at San Bernardino Aquinas (10-0) Division 10 Montebello (7-3) vs. Pasadena Poly (8-1-1) at South Pasadena HS Whittier (5-5) at Garden Grove Pacifica (9-1) Gahr (7-3)) at Santa Fe (6-4) Division 11 Victor Valley (5-5) vs. Covina (8-2) at Covina District Field Arcadia (7-3) vs. Hillcrest (7-3) at Norte Vista HS Lakeside (7-3) at Arroyo (10-0) Division 12 Santa Ana Valley (3-7) at Schurr (9-1) El Dorado (5-5) at South El Monte (9-1) Division 13 Workman (4-6) at Santa Clara (8-2) Azusa (5-5) at Rio Hondo Prep (6-3) Orange (8-2) at Cantwell Sacred Heart (6-4)

Friday Countdown and High School Football playoff previews published first on http://ift.tt/2w0EToM

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